Rob Bishop, Lee Castillo, Eric Eliason Debate: What To Know
Oct 17, 2018, 10:19 AM
Rob Bishop, Lee Castillo and Eric Eliason will debate Wednesday in Logan
LOGAN, Utah – Republican incumbent Rob Bishop, Democrat Lee Castillo and the United Utah Party’s Eric Eliason will make their cases to Utah voters Wednesday night.
The debate will take place at the Caine Performance Hall at Utah State University in Logan at 6 p.m.
Watch the debate live on KSL TV, on the KSL TV app, or on the KLS TV Facebook page.
Bishop, who has represented Utah’s 1st Congressional District for eight terms, is the favorite among 1st District voters with 59 percent supporting him, according to a September UtahPolicy.com poll. Castillo garnered 22 percent, and Eliason had 8 percent support.
Green Party candidate Adam Davis, who did not meet the Utah Debate Commission support threshold to join the debate, polled at 3 percent, according to UtahPolicy.com.
Rob Bishop
Bishop is currently the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and also serves on the Committee on Armed Services.
According to his campaign website, issues Bishop focuses on include providing for the common defense, fighting for states’ rights, and bringing more local control the Utah’s public lands.
Among some of his key votes in the current term were yeas on a resolution that modified Obamacare, a resolution that proposed withholding federal funds from areas that chose not to follow federal immigration laws, and a resolution that focused on limiting when abortions could be performed.
He also voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced tax rates for individuals and businesses.
Bishop said if he wins a ninth term, it will be his last. This has fueled speculation he may consider a run for governor, but when asked, he has deflected the question.
RELATED: Watch the candidate conversation with Rob Bishop on the Voices of Reason podcast
Lee Castillo
According to his campaign website, Lee Castillo is a Layton native, a mental health therapist and social worker, and a single parent with an adopted child and foster child. He’s worked at Hill Air Force Base’s Family Practice Clinic and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, and he is currently working for the Utah State Hospital.
His issues include creating a reasonable pathway to citizenship, reforming tax laws to benefit lower and middle-class households, establishing price controls on prescription medicine, and securing healthcare for all citizens.
He also lists air quality, government transparency and common sense gun control as issues on which he’ll focus.
RELATED: Watch the candidate conversation with Lee Castillo on the Voices of Reason podcast
Eric Eliason
According to his campaign website, Eliason is a Logan native who has served as both president and COO of businesses in Cache and Davis counties. He’s an adjunct professor at the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and is a father of four children.
His issues include reducing healthcare costs, preserving public lands while acknowledging some lands are suited for natural resource extraction, supporting Hill Air Force Base, establishing term limits and campaign finance reform, and immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship.
He also lists responsible gun ownership and fiscal responsibility in the government as issues important to him.
RELATED: Watch the candidate conversation with Eric Eliason on the Voices of Reason podcast
Utah’s 1st Congressional District includes Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Summit, Uintah and Weber counties and a portion of Davis County.
